Despite there being a long history of bug-eating in rural parts of Japan, for the average consumer nowadays stomaching creepy-crawlies is too much to ask.
But like many edible insect ventures springing up overseas, one Kyoto startup has been bitten by the same bug and is making cricket powder protein bars designed to be palatable for the masses.
BugMo Co. not only sees crickets as a much more sustainable protein source compared to beef, chicken or pork, but ultimately an essential ingredient in a whole new food ecosystem amid a looming food crisis driven by shrinking resources and climate change.